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Jihad orders halt in rocket attacks

The Palestinian movement Islamic Jihad has vowed to stop firing rockets at Israeli targets in the lead-up to the pullout from the Gaza Strip.

03 Aug 2005 08:09 GMT

Jihad wants Israel's Gaza pullout to proceed in a peaceful manner

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the movement's armed wing said it wanted the pullout starting in two weeks to take place peacefully.

"The leadership of the al-Quds Brigades issued orders three days ago to all groups to stop firing rockets in order to preserve the national Palestinian project at this critical and historic juncture," said the statement.

Jihad wanted to "give a chance for the withdrawal to take place in a peaceful manner".

Jihad signed up to a truce agreement this year, but it has since been behind a number of deadly attacks, including a bombing in the Israeli town of Netanya last month.

The movement also denied in the statement that its followers fired a rocket on Tuesday night that killed a six-year-old Palestinian boy when it landed on a house in Bait Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip.

"The al-Quds Brigades categorically denies any responsibility for this tragic accident and any attempt to implicate us," said the statement.

Israel has threatened to launch a vast offensive in Gaza if rocket attacks are carried out during the pullout of troops and settlers that is due to begin in a fortnight.